Verification Methods

All verification sessions expire 10 minutes after creation. If the user doesn’t complete verification within that window, you’ll need to create a new session. Design your UX to guide users through verification promptly and handle the expired session error gracefully. See Errors & Edge Cases for details.

Phone verification must be completed before identity verification can begin. Choose one method from each step below. Most teams use the same approach (Opal, API-driven, or BYO) for both steps, but you can mix — for example, SNA for phone and KBA for identity.

Choosing Your Phone Verification Method

Opal (Recommended)
SMS Verification
Silent Network Auth (SNA)
BYO SMS

Phone verification is handled entirely within the Opal embedded UI. The user enters their phone number, receives a verification code, and enters it — all within a polished, pre-built interface. This is the fastest path to implementation and provides the most consistent user experience.

Method sends a verification code to the user’s phone, and your application collects and submits the code. Choose this if you want to integrate phone verification into your own custom UI while still having Method handle the SMS delivery.

# 1. Create SMS verification session
curl -X POST https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "phone",
    "method": "sms",
    "sms": {}
  }'

# 2. Submit the code the user received
curl -X PUT https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions/evf_xxx \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "phone",
    "method": "sms",
    "sms": {
      "sms_code": "123456"
    }
  }'

You handle SMS delivery and verification entirely on your side and report the result to Method. Choose this if you already have a robust SMS verification system and want to maintain a single verification flow across your application.

BYO SMS requires your team to be pre-authorized during onboarding. You’ll create a verification session with method byo_sms and provide the byo_sms.timestamp field — the ISO 8601 timestamp of when you verified the phone number. Contact your Method CSM to enable this method.

curl -X POST https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "phone",
    "method": "byo_sms",
    "byo_sms": {
      "timestamp": "2026-04-10T12:00:00.000Z"
    }
  }'

Choosing a Phone Method

Method	User Experience	Implementation	Reliability	Best For
Opal	Polished, pre-built	Minimal (embed SDK)	High	Most teams
SMS	Standard (enter code)	Medium (collect + submit)	High	Custom UI with Method SMS delivery
SNA	Invisible (no user action)	Medium (background URL calls)	Variable (carrier-dependent)	Mobile-first products, with SMS fallback
BYO SMS	Your existing flow	Low (report result)	Depends on your provider	Teams with existing SMS verification

Recommended pattern: Use SNA as primary with SMS as automatic fallback. This gives the best conversion rate while ensuring every user can complete verification.

Phone verification has a maximum attempt limit enforced by the underlying SMS provider. If the limit is reached, the error ENTITY_PHONE_VERIFICATION_MAX_ATTEMPTS is returned and you’ll need to wait before retrying. Design your flow to inform users of the limit and avoid excessive retries.

Choosing Your Identity Verification Method

Opal (Recommended)
KBA
BYO KYC

Identity verification is handled within the Opal embedded UI. The user is guided through the KYC process in a managed, tested flow. This is the simplest path and ensures the verification experience is optimized for completion.

The user answers a set of identity questions generated from their credit and public record history (e.g., “Which of these addresses have you lived at?”). Your application presents the questions and collects answers. KBA is widely supported but can be frustrating for users if questions are obscure or ambiguous.

# 1. Create KBA verification session (returns questions)
curl -X POST https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "identity",
    "method": "kba",
    "kba": {}
  }'

# 2. Submit answers to the questions
curl -X PUT https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions/evf_xxx \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "identity",
    "method": "kba",
    "kba": {
      "answers": [
        { "question_id": "qtn_xxx", "answer_id": "ans_xxx" },
        { "question_id": "qtn_yyy", "answer_id": "ans_yyy" }
      ]
    }
  }'

You perform identity verification on your side using your own KYC provider and report the outcome to Method. Choose this if you already have a KYC integration and want to consolidate verification into a single flow, or if you need to meet specific compliance requirements that require a particular KYC vendor.

BYO KYC requires your team to be pre-authorized during onboarding. By creating this session, you’re asserting that your external KYC process has passed for this user. Method trusts your KYC result — there are no constraints on which KYC vendor you use. Contact your Method CSM to enable this method.

curl -X POST https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_xxx/verification_sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "identity",
    "method": "byo_kyc",
    "byo_kyc": {}
  }'

The response will include byo_kyc: { authenticated: true } confirming the verification was recorded.

Choosing an Identity Method

Method	User Experience	Implementation	Best For
Opal	Guided, pre-built	Minimal	Most teams
KBA	Multi-question quiz	Medium (present questions, collect answers)	API-only integrations without existing KYC
BYO KYC	Your existing flow	Low (report result)	Teams with existing KYC provider

About element and method_verified methods: The API also lists element and method_verified as valid verification methods. element is the predecessor to Opal — new integrations should use Opal instead. method_verified is an internal method used by Method and is not available for external use.

Getting Started

Entities

Identity Verification

Connect

Accounts

Updates

Payments

Additional Products

Use Cases: Commerce

Use Cases: Lending

Use Cases: PFM

Verification Methods